The present invention is directed to a control mechanism which may be used advantageously for a water conditioning system, and in particular to a control mechanism having a control valve drive gear selectively coupled to a timing drive gear by a mechanical clutch.
Water conditioning or treatment devices of the ion exchange type, often referred to as water softeners, typically include a tank having a resin bed through which hard water passes to exchange its hardness causing ions of calcium and magnesium for the sodium ions of the regenerated resin bed. Regeneration of the resin bed is periodically required to remove the accumulation of hardness causing ions and to replenish the supply of sodium ions in the resin. A control mechanism operates a valve which controls the operation of the water conditioning device. The control valve selectively switches the water conditioning device between a service mode and a regeneration mode. The control valve also controls the various cycles the water treatment system undergoes during regeneration such as the start and stop of the backwash cycle, the brine and slow rinse cycle, the rapid rinse cycle and the brine tank refill cycle. Control mechanisms for water conditioning systems typically include electronic devices such as switches or microprocessors for controlling the valve of the water conditioning system. The present invention provides an inexpensive adjustable cycle control mechanism for controlling the operation of a water conditioning system.